Research article

Aortic distensibility and coronary artery bypass graft patency

Bülent Özdemir¹ , Murat Biçer² , Levent Özdemir³ , İbrahim Baran¹ , Aysel Aydın Kaderli¹ , Tunay Şentürk¹ , Ali Emül¹ , Zeynel Abidin Yetgin¹ , Sümeyye Güllülü¹ and Ali Aydınlar¹

¹  Cardiology Department, Uludağ University Medical Faculty, Görükle, Bursa, Turkey

²  Cardiovascular surgery Department Uludağ University Medical Faculty, Görükle, Bursa, Turkey

³  Public Health Department, Cumhuriyet University Medical Faculty, Sivas, Turkey

author email corresponding author email

Journal of Cardiothoracic Surgery 2009, 4:14doi:10.1186/1749-8090-4-14

Published:	26 March 2009

Abstract

Background

Aortic distensibility is an elasticity index of the aorta, and reflects aortic stiffness. Coronary artery disease has been found to be substantially associated with increased aortic stiffness. In this study we aimed to retrospectively analyze the association of angiographically determined aortic distensibility with the patency rates of coronary bypass grafts

Methods

The study was conducted in the Cardiology department of the Applied Research Centre for Health of Uludağ University. The coronary angiograms of 53 consecutive coronary bypass patients were analysed retrospectively. Aortic distensibility was calculated using the formula: 2 × (change in aortic diameter)/(diastolic aortic diameter) × (change in aortic pressure). The number of stenosed and patent bypass grafts and the patient characteristics like age, risk factors were noted.

Results

There were 44 male (83%) and 9 female (17%) cases. Eighteen cases had only one saphenous vein grafting. The number of cases with two, three and four saphenous grafting were 18, 11 and 1; respectively. In the control angiograms the number of cases with one, two, three and four saphenous vein graft obstruction were 15 (31.3%), 7 (14.6%), 1 (2.1%) and 1 (2.1%) respectively. The aortic distensibility did not differ in cases with and without saphenous graft occlusion (p > 0.05). Also left internal mammary artery (LIMA) graft patency was not related to the distensibility of the aorta (p > 0.05). We also evaluated the data for cut-off values of 50 and 70 mmHg of pulse pressure and did not see any significant difference between the groups in terms of saphenous or LIMA grafts.

Conclusion

In this study we failed to show association of angiographically determined aortic distensibility with coronary bypass graft patency in consecutive 53 patients with coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).